Where God is Present, Usually These Three Things Are Too

I grew up in a rowdy church. I don't mean like the "Mark Driscoll, manly-man, beards and tattoo-sleeves" kind of rowdy, but rather the "tongue-talking, flag-waving, red-faced preaching, running and shouting" kind of rowdy. I guess the best word to sum it up would be pentecostal.

Throughout much of my childhood I thought that was just how all churches were. As I got older I began to pick up on some clues that perhaps the Sunday services at my church differed quite a bit from what many others experienced. In my teen years I became very selective about what events I invited my friends to. It wasn't that I was ashamed to be Pentecostal - I had encountered the Holy Spirit in such a life-altering way, I certainly wasn't looking for a way out. But let's just say I wasn't necessarily trying to bring people in either.

By the time I got to college I found myself on the leadership team of a baptist campus ministry where I made some of my closest friends. I quickly became known as one of the few pentecostals and everyone had so many questions. "Do you speak in tongues? Can you do it right now? Do ya'll do stuff with snakes? Don't you think all believers have the Holy Spirit?"

It dawned on me that even though I had grown up in a "Spirit-filled" church, I couldn't answer ANY of these questions (except the snake one, that was easy). The more I was exposed to all kinds of churches, playing music and preaching in them throughout my college years, the more I came to the realization that the main differences in these denominations wasn't so much their beliefs, but their emphasis. Baptists and methodists, for example, tended to have a huge emphasis on discipleship, while pentecostals and charismatics had a huge emphasis on experience. In other words, one stream of the faith is really good at EDUCATING while the other is really good at DEMONSTRATING. Yet they both lack what the other excels in.

Now of course I'm speaking in extreme generalities here. Please don't come for me if your experience was different. I'm simply building a case for why we must appreciate the WHOLE body of Christ, extending far beyond our denominational lines.

THE WORD

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:1-4

THE DAY OF PENTECOST

Today I wrestle with calling myself pentecostal; not because I believe any differently now. Let me set the record straight: I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit separate from salvation and I believe the gifts of the Spirit are fully operational on the earth today. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed by those realities and I am very much capable of Biblically and theologically explaining those doctrines now. I just struggle to identify something as sacred as my faith with a particular doctrinal emphasis. Labels such as calvinist, arminian, evangelical, pre-millennialist - these aren't irrelevant. I believe they can be important in communicating where we stand on certain issues. However, the Kingdom of God is so much greater than our denominational and theological differences and if I'm going to bear ANY name, I just want it to be the name of Christ, not the one that's on the sign out front of my church.

That being said I very much believe that pentecost holds an EXTREMELY valuable place in the history of the church. Many even claim that the day of pentecost in Acts 2 was the very BIRTH of the Church. But Pentecost was an observance long before it was an outpouring. Known as the Feast of Weeks, pentecost was observed throughout the Old Testament to mark 50 days after the passover (hence the "pente" which means 50). I won't get into all of the significance of this feast and why God chose to pour out His Spirit on this specific day, but just know there's a ton of great revelation there.

OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD VS. MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD

We often refer to God's presence as "being in the room" or "inviting God to come" in our worship services. I know, at times that begs the question, "If He's God, isn't He everywhere?" Yes. But there’s a difference between God’s omnipresence and God’s manifest presence.

Omnipresence means He's always present. He’s everywhere at all times. In Psalm 139 David says, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" But then there’s His manifest presence, which is when He makes His presence known.

I HATE how the new age movement has hi-jacked the word "manifest." Trying to teach students about the manifest presence of God has been difficult lately as they try to understand through the lens of what they've seen on Tik Tok about "manifesting your desires through conscious and positive thinking." (You can't see it but I'm rolling my internal eyes SO hard right now.) The word "manifest" is not rooted in far-eastern philosophy. It simply means for something to be on display or to become clear.

I once heard someone explain it like this: if you're in a large gathering it's highly possible that there are millionaires present among you. But it’s not until they start handing out money that they make their presence known. They can be present without "manifesting" their presence. (Side note: if there are any millionaires reading this blog and you would like to manifest your presence, I can send you my CashApp... Jk)

So God is ALWAYS present, but when we see souls saved, bodies healed, minds set free that is how He makes His presence known. The day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was not just another holiday set to commemorate God's goodness and provision. It was a day marked by the manifestation of God's presence in a way that has continued up to this very moment as He empowers His people by inhabiting His people.

WHERE GOD IS PRESENT, USUALLY THESE THREE THINGS ARE TOO

Ok, so then what causes God to make His presence known? I don't like the idea of creating a formula that makes God show up. This isn't a recipe, these aren't ingredients, and God's presence isn't soup. But I do think it's important to understand God has WAYS. The ways of God do not hem Him in nor is He bound by any pattern of man, but He is true to His character and consistent in His nature. So if we desire to host His manifest presence, we can't ignore the reality of how necessary it is for these three things to be present as well:

1. GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY. To be sovereign basically means to be over all things and to be able to do whatever you want. I have a friend who amusingly claims Psalm 115:3 as his life verse. It states, “Our God is in the heavens, He does whatever He wants.” It's a pretty great verse for your life when you think about it. It answers EVERY question. "Why did this happen in my life? Well, God does whatever He wants..." Perhaps that makes some of us uncomfortable but the truth is that ALL of reality is subject to the will of God.

Now, I fully believe man has free will and that we each have the ability to make choices that may or may not be within the perfect will of God. In other words, we can do things that God doesn't desire but allows us to do because He granted us the ability to choose. We see God giving David a choice between three punishments in 2 Samuel 24 for his sinful actions. This doesn't mean God was subjected to the will of David, but rather submitted to it, meaning He was not bound but yielded.

But I believe there are moments where God completely OVERRIDES our free will because He's sovereign. John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit in his mother's womb. God didn't give him a choice, He chose for him! In His sovereignty, God manifests His presence for His own purposes whenever He so chooses.

2. THE CHURCH'S UNITY. Jesus says in Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” I love that Jesus' words almost take on the tone of a frustrated parent with multiple children who are at odds. "If you all can just agree on ANYTHING, I’ll make it happen!"

How sad is it that much of the church today lacks presence because it lacks unity. God will not be present where there is division and separation. Your gossip doesn’t just hurt people, it hinders His presence. Don't be the reason God doesn’t manifest His presence in your church! We don't all have to think the same way or agree on everything, but we do have to value one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord. I agree that there are essentials in the faith that cannot be compromised, but the majority of denominations in the Church agree on the essentials. It's often the non-essentials that we're divided over. If we want Him to be present, we have to want each other to be present as well.

3. MAN'S HUMILITY. God is attracted to surrender. David tells us in Psalm 51:7, "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." Fire always falls on the sacrifice. God doesn't just COME into our hearts, He CONQUERS our hearts. It's no different when He manifests Himself in a gathering. If we truly want Him to come, we must invite Him to conquer. His presence is synonymous with His rule. To know Him IS to surrender to Him.

CONCLUSION

So looking one last time at Acts 2, it says "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place (THE CHURCH'S UNITY - they were together in the same room). Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting (MAN'S HUMILITY - they were seeking, waiting, and sitting). They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY - His Spirit alone is what enabled them).

The day of Pentecost marked the moment that the Spirit of God moved from VISITATION to HABITATION. My prayer for the Church today is that no matter what name or denomination is in front of the building, the inside of the building would be filled with people who are hungry for God to manifest His presence in whatever way He desires. Let's continually seek for a fresh outpouring of His presence in our lives!